Former Michigan State Offensive Lineman Retires From Football
Earlier this offseason, Michigan State and Coach Jonathan Smith experienced one of the most extensive groups of transfer portal entries of any college football program in the country.
Coach Smith lost nearly 20 scholarship players to the transfer portal simultaneously. The mass exodus included multiple starters from last season and players expected to battle for a starting position this season, such as offensive lineman Ethan Boyd, who departed for the University of Colorado.
According to Colorado beat writer Brian Howell, Boyd will not only not be joining Colorado’s football program this upcoming season but will not join any college football program at all, as the talented offensive linemen will reportedly retire from football altogether. Boyd’s retirement from football is one of many examples of former Michigan State players finding themselves in surprising situations after transferring from Michigan State upon Smith’s arrival.
According to 247Sports, Boyd was one of the top-ranked offensive tackles in the 2021 recruiting class, ranking as the 42nd-best offensive lineman in the country and the 12th-best offensive lineman from Michigan in the 2021 recruiting class. Boyd was an academic All-Big Ten selection during the 2022 season, in which he was a redshirt freshman.
During his redshirt sophomore season, he played in all 12 games for Michigan State, including three starts at right tackle. He also earned academic Big Ten honors for the second consecutive season and saw a significant increase in playing time from the prior season. The 6-foot-7, 325-pound offensive lineman was primarily a reserve player over the last two seasons at Michigan State but was likely to start more games for Michigan State this season before transferring to Colorado.
Boyd’s departure from Michigan State was somewhat of a surprise, as he is a native of East Lansing and was productive while on the field for Michigan State.
Boyd was ranked as a three-star offensive lineman entering college, and his departure from Colorado’s football program was even more surprising than his departure from Michigan State. According to Pro Football Focus, Boyd achieved an overall 60.5 grade during the 2023 season, registering a run-block grade of 67.7 and a 43.3 pass-blocking grade. Boyd was considered to be a significant addition for Colorado this upcoming season.
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EZEKIEL TREZEVANT
Ezekiel is a former Sports Editor from the Western Herald and former Atlanta Falcons beat writer.